"I'm a big fan of eggs in the morning, like sautéed greens with scrambled eggs. For lunch, I have the luxury of working in a restaurant, and every station has all of these vegetables. Every day at around 1:30 p.m, I go through everyone's station and grab a little of this and a little of that, and I dress it with olive oil and lemon juice, and I have this huge salad with all of these different vegetables."

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Marco Canora, Hearth and Terroir, New York City

"I'm a big fan of eggs in the morning, like sautéed greens with scrambled eggs. For lunch, I have the luxury of working in a restaurant, and every station has all of these vegetables. Every day at around 1:30 p.m, I go through everyone's station and grab a little of this and a little of that, and I dress it with olive oil and lemon juice, and I have this huge salad with all of these different vegetables."

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Geoffrey Zakarian, The National, New York City

"I'm a creature of habit. I have the same thing every day: For breakfast I have an egg-white omelet with spinach, a lot of black coffee, a lot of water, and fresh berries. At lunch I have a salad, usually a nicoise, or a protein with a salad or grain like a quinoa or something. For snacks I like fruit, like low-sugar fruit like berries, and almonds. Then I'll have a more normal dinner, and maybe a couple glasses of wine, but nothing late. I don't eat after 8 p.m."

"I don't eat a lot for breakfast and lunch. When I'm at the restaurant or writing recipes or testing new formulas, I eat a lot of what I'm cooking. For breakfast I have maybe a banana or a shake made of leftovers like carrots and kale, plus a banana or a little whey protein. It's sort of like cleaning out the refrigerator on a regular basis."

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Marc Murphy, Benchmarc Restaurants by Marc Murphy, New York City

"For breakfast when I'm on the go, I grab a bowl of oatmeal with a banana in it. I like the banana to get warmed up by the oatmeal. Lunch is usually some salad with some protein on it. Dinner? Whatever, it doesn't matter really. As long as you're not eating too much of one thing, and you're indulging and having a good time and eating good food, that's the most important thing."

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Jeni Bauer, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

"We make roast chicken usually for dinner with simple salads. I also make béchamel with winter squash, and that's our macaroni and cheese in our house. I eat a lot of sweets, so I like to counter that with something salty like wasabi peas or Sriracha peas for snacks."

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Joey Campanaro, The Little Owl, New York City

"I have a piece of fruit with coffee in the morning, or I skip breakfast. I have a really big lunch, usually pasta and a salad. Then I have a snack later on for dinner. It's a very European-style diet. It makes me feel better."

"I don't really eat breakfast. If I do, it's a Zone bar or an organic juice. Lunch is usually tacos at the restaurant, then dinner is late at night. After I've put in a long day, it's my reward to go home and eat. I'm a simple guy. I like a perfect burger or a great slice of pizza."

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Scott Conant, Scarpetta, New York City

"I am on a diet pretty much all the time, so it's really not that interesting. For the most part I'll probably juice through lunch to dinner. Then I'll eat, and what totally varies depending on if I'm eating at a restaurant, going home, or traveling."

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How 8 of the nation’s most acclaimed restaurant owners keep a balanced diet when tasting gourmet meals all day

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How 8 of the nation’s most acclaimed restaurant owners keep a balanced diet when tasting gourmet meals all day.